Face of Faith essay winners for 2002

t Elementary 1 Winner

Published: Sunday, November 17, 2002

Elementary 1 Winner

Sydney Kennedy

Third Grade

Faith helped me through a hard time. On April 9, 1998, my sister was born. We loved Katie very much, but when she was nine days old she died. I was very sad. I had to have faith that Katie was with Jesus in heaven and when I die I will see her again. Later, my mom had another baby! Her name is Grace, and it means to have faith in God's love.

Elementary 2 Winner

Michael Estrada

Fourth Grade

In my story, I am going to write about my faith and how my faith helps me face my fear to get through my life. God especially helped me face my fears when I was seven and I was asleep. My dad told me that my mom died. She died of a heart attack. We went to the funeral and I was very sad. Good thoughts of my life with my mom helped me get through it. I cried for a long time because I miss my mom so much. God is always there to make me feel better. I have had some sad times in my life, but God always helps me get through it. He reminds me of the good times.

Junior High Winner

Sarah Blaylock

Eighth Grade

My faith helps me face my fears in three main ways. Prayer, trust in God and my Christian family are these three ways.

Prayer is the most eminent way that helps me face my fears. If someone I love or care about is injured or ill, or something bad happens that affects my life, I look to God for an answer.

Having trust in God is also an eminent way that helps me face my fears. I know I can count on God when my life is headed for the fire.

One more thing that helps me face my fears is having a strong family. If it weren't for my Christian family and my church I wouldn't know where to turn if my life got off track.

Faith is a big thing that helps me to know where I am headed and who I am. If it were not for prayer, trust in God and my Christian family, I would never have known how much my faith helps me face my fears.

High School Winner

Sara McCunniff

10th Grade

I have always known God was there, but I had never been able to rely on him for everything until a situation occurred that was out of my hands. At the age of 4, I was diagnosed with a life-threatening disease called Langerhans-cell-histiocytosis.

This caused multiple bone tumors and severe pain which limited my sleep to only three or four hours. After three surgeries and large doses of chemotherapy every Monday for four years, at the age of 8, I was in remission for six years.

However, this past March, I began having pain in my sternum, and I knew it was back. I became furious with God. Why me again? I was going to be a sophomore at Monterey and was not looking forward to being the ''bald, sick girl.''

After an experimental surgery and steroid injections, I was doing better but not a full recovery, until I went to church camp this summer. At Ceta Canyon, the aisles filled with youth and adults, everyone praying in faith for my healing.

I returned back to Lubbock and as of now, I have been in remission for one month and six days. I was so fearful of what was going to happen to me at school and elsewhere, but when I trusted the Lord and put faith in him I was miraculously healed.

University Winner

Jessica Melson

Dating from 1643, the word failure has been an active member of the English language. Today failure is a concept lurking in the back of every college student's mind. The weight of parental, peer and societal expectations are evident in the sagging backpacks and shoulders of students as we trudge from class to class.

I am a classic overachiever, setting lofty goals and punishing myself when I fail. Recently, I volunteered to serve as a Bible study leader for a Christian organization on campus. A multitude of fears plagued my mind: Do I have a high enough level of spiritual maturity and knowledge? Can I offer anything enlightening? Will anyone come? My thoughts revolved around a central fear of failure.

Yet God, as always, knew exactly what He was doing. My partner suggested we do an intensive study of grace, a word tossed around in spiritual discussion and sang in hymns, but rarely understood in its intended capacity. Throughout my study of the concept of grace, I found grace to challenge every societal convention I have been taught. Individuals are not judged by what they have earned: no grades, no promotions, no cliches about working my way to the top. My entire life I had overlooked the single gift exclusive to Christianity: grace. Grace generously gives to those who have done nothing to earn it. To quote Philip Yancey, grace is ''free of charge, no strings attached, on the house.''

Grace has shed a fresh luminescence on my outlook. When my time on Earth ends, God's grace has made failure impossible for anyone who will accept such a bargain. As I envision my future, the aroma of grace permeates my existence, preventing the nagging fear of failure from entering my mind. Grace has replaced my fear.